A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, with English and Samoan vocabulary

A

A

The first letter in the Samoan alphabet. It has a long and short pronunciation, so marked as to be equal to two different letters. In some few words it is very short, almost like a short u; as in mate, maliu, vave, fanafanau, etc. A is the vowel of emphasis. Added to some nouns, it makes them adjectives having the meaning of abounding in; as niua, abounding in cocoa-nuts; tagata, contracted from tagatua, to be full of people. It also terminates some words indicating suffering. It is in such cases long, and takes the accent; as tiga, puapuaga, saua, etc. Also it terminates other words indicating mental distress; as loua, soesa, mataga, tuga, etc.

A, is often used after verbs of speaking; as, a e fai atu a fafine. Ua fai mai a ia. In this case it is the prep. of; and le upu (the word) seems to be understood: thus the full sentence would be, but says (the word) of the women. A! le vaʻa papalagi.

ʻA, interj. of surprise.

Aʻa, s. Malay, Akar. 1. fibres of a root, 2. Family connections; as, ʻUa sosolo le aʻa i le aiga. It takes o after it in the genitive and in pronouns; as, ona aʻa.page 54
3. The name of a plant; the root is used for food occasionally.

Aʻa, s. a kick. ʻO lona aʻa.

Aʻa, v. to kick; pl.Feaʻa; pass.aʻasia.

ʻAʻa, s. 1. the name of a fish. 2. The fibrous substance which grows round the base of the cocoa-nut leaf; the stipule. Called also Lauʻaʻa.

Aʻau, s. a coral reef. ʻO le ʻaʻau o le nuʻu. 2. The loop at the end of the pole for catching pigeons.

ʻAʻafa, indecent word.

Aʻau, v. to swim; pl.feʻausiʻUa toʻilalo le vaʻa ʻua feʻausi le uso.

Aʻau, v. pl. of, ʻau, to send.

Aʻafia, v. 1. to be taken away (of property) by a relation, without the permission of the owner. From aʻa, a root. ʻUa ʻave aua ʻua ʻaʻafia i le aiga. 2. To be involved with others in trouble. ʻUa ʻaʻafia tatou i le amio a Atamu.

ʻAʻafia, s. the name of a shrub.

ʻAʻafu, v. pl. of ʻafu, to wrap up in a sheet.

Aʻaga, s. a kicking match. ʻO le aʻaga a tama.

ʻAʻala, v. Malay, Gatal, to smart; pl.feʻalasi.

ʻAʻala, s. the smarting; as of a wound. ʻO lona ʻaʻala.

ʻAʻale, s. a driving in war, a rout. Na ʻe tau i tai, i le to le ʻaʻale.

ʻAʻasi, v. 1. to scrape tutuga (the paper mulberry) with the ʻasi, a shell. 2. To scratch.

Aʻasia, pass. of Aʻa.

ʻAʻata, v. pl. of ʻata, to laugh.

Aʻatasi, s. a species of cress (Cardamine sarmentosa).

ʻAʻati, v. to eat in, as an ulcer. ʻUa ʻaʻati e pei ʻo se papala. 2. To eat into a tree, as the afato, a grub, does. 3. To gnaw off, as the skin of sugar-cane or the husk of a cocoa-nut. 4. To pierce, as the teeth of a dog, so as to meet.

Ai, a relative particle; as, ʻO le togafiti e ola ai, a plan by which to live. ʻO le mea lea na ia sau ai. That was the reason why he came. There, or for the verb to be. Pe ai sana ava? Is there a wife to him?

Afa, v. to be united in action; from afa, a mesh-stick. ʻUa afa faʻatasi. They all use one mesh-stick, and the meshes are equal.

ʻAfa, s. 1. sinnet, the cord plaited from the fibre of the cocoa-nut husk, largely used instead of nails for house and boat building. ʻO laʻu ʻafa. 2. The name of a fish. 3. An anchor. Syn. and more common term, Taula.

ʻAfa, v. 1. to be fit, to be proper. E le ʻafa ona toe alu, neʻi malaia. 2. To be fit for making sinnet; of cocoa-nuts neither too old nor too young. 3. To be fit only for plaiting sinnet. ʻUa afa le aso, that is, a rainy day.

ʻAfaʻafa, s. the name of a fish.

ʻAfaʻafa, a. strong, robust; applied to men.

Afaʻafa, v. to exaggerate. Aua e te ʻafaʻafa; o se mea itiiti.

Afaʻafai, v. to wind sinnet round the handle of a weapon to prevent it from slipping.

Afai, conj. if.

ʻAfaʻiʻo, s. a hank of sinnet. ʻO laʻu ʻafaʻiʻo. Syn.Faʻaʻafaga.

Afailaugutu, v. to draw people with words, as with a string. ʻAfa-i-laugutu.

Afaina, v. to endanger. Tou te afaina ai aʻu.

Afaina, v. to be hurt, to be endangered; from afa, a storm. Used only negatively and interrogatively; as ʻUa afaina ʻea lou lima? E le afaina.

Aganuʻu, s. conduct according to the customs of one's own country. ʻO lona aganuʻu.

Aganuʻu, v. to act according to the customs of one's own country.

Agasala, s. sin; an adapted word. ʻO lau agasala.

Agasala, v. to commit sin; caus.faʻaagasala, to cause to sin.

Agatele, v. to abuse, to use abusive language.

Agatonu, v. lit. to go straight. Applied, 1. To the people of a village having a chief as a guide or head, that everything may be orderly. Ia tupu se ou soʻo, ia agatonu ai faleupolu. 2. To the head of a family s giving food to visitors. 3. To one who has never been fined for improper conduct.

Agavaʻa, 1. lit. the “conduct” of a canoe, its quality and behaviour in the water. ʻUa fili e le tai se agavaʻa. 2. Applied to the conduct of men.

Agavaivai, a. mild, gentle.

Agavaivaii, v. to be gentle.

Agavale, s. the left hand.

Agavale, v. 1. to be left-handed. 2. To come empty-handed. 3. To be ungrateful.

Agina, v. pass. of agi, 1. to be put in motion by the wind; to blow straight out, as a flag. 2. fig. Applied to speeches not meant to end in anything practical; redup.aginagina, applied to the ears of one running away, as if blown straight.

Agini, v. to tuck up the lavalava, or loin-cloth, so as not to obstruct the wearer in walking or at work.

Agipo, v. to blow at night, the trade-wind usually ceasing to blow in the evening.

Ago, s. the turmeric plant (Cucuma longa).

Ago, v. 1. to mark with charcoal, as the edges of the planks when making a canoe to test whether they fit. 2. To draw the lines for tattooing.

Alafia, v. pass. from ala, road 1. to be able to head for, applied to a canoe or boat sailing. Pe alafia ʻea le tolotolo? Shall we fetch the headland? 2. To be able to get at, as a tree, in order to cut it down. 3. To get a chance to shoot, as at a pigeon standing in an exposed postion. 4. To get an occasion to pick a quarrel. 5. To have a road for the fishing-net, that is, a low tide in the morning favourable for fishing.

Alafia, v. to be hurt by joining in another's quarrel, or through one's own fault. Faʻaluaʻi alafia ma manaʻa. Syn.Alataia.

ʻAlaga, s. Malay, Garang, a shout.

ʻAlaga, v. 1. to shout out, to call out; pl.ʻalalaga; pass.ʻalagaina. 2. To proclaim a chief or king on accession to a title. ʻO le ʻalaga ai Tupo i le Tuiatua.

ʻAlaga, s. a shoulder or leg of an animal. ʻO lona alaga; a joint of meat as a portion for a person, o lana alaya.

Alagaupu, s. a saying. Syn.Muagagana.

Alagalima, s. the shoulder of an animal.

Alagamea, s. the name of one kind of fishing-net.

Alagasegase, chiefs' word for Alamaʻi.

Alagavaʻa, s. a chafe or sore caused by rubbing against the canoe while paddling. ʻO lona alagavaʻa. 2. Any sore or unplea-
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sight or defect, as a crooked leg. 3. The whole of the flyhooks attached to the bonito fishing-rod. ʻO lana alagavaʻa.

Alo, s. 1. the under side, as of a cloth, the belly of a fish, &c. 2. A chief's belly. 3. The child of a chief. 4. Used also for the seat of the affections, and of feeling. Fofo ane lou alo; and Ia ʻe liuliu alo mai, Be propitious.

Ama, v. 1. to be ignorant, to be unable to do a thing. But it is always used with a negative, and applied to one who is handy at work. E leai se mea e ama ia. There is nothing which he cannot do. 2. It is also applied to bad conduct.

ʻAmaʻama, s. a species of crab found on the rocks.

ʻAmaʻamafatu, s. a spiny species of ʻAmaʻama.

Amaise, conj. also, together with.

Amanaʻi, v. 1. to heap up, to gather to excess; as food, toga, &c. ʻUa amanaʻi toga, a e le iloga se mea e ave i ai. A quantity of native property is collected, but it is not known what is to be done with it. 2. To keep in mind an injury or a favour; pass.amanaʻiina; redup.amaamanaʻi.

ʻAmata, v. to begin, to commence; pass.ʻAmataina.

ʻAmataʻaga, s. the beginning. Used on Tutuila for ʻamataga.

ʻAmataga, s. the beginning, the commencement.

Amate, a. very small, next to nothing.

A mea, a phrase used in answering a question with Why? It was because, &c. A mea ua le iloa.

Ameise, conj. used by some for Amaise.

Ameto, s. the name of a small crab.

Ami, s. 1. the roe of crabs and other crustaceans. 2. Penis.

ʻAmia, v. pass. of ʻaʻami, to fetch.

Amio, s. conduct, behaviour. ʻO lana amio.

Amioga, s. conduct, behaviour. ʻO lana amio.

Amio, v. to go towards.

Amioaliʻi, a. police.

Amiomio, v. 1. to go about in the direction of. 2. To work; applied to chiefs.

Amiomio, s. a chief's work. ʻO lana amiomio.

Amiotamaitaʻi, a. ladylike.

ʻAmiga, s. a fetching, the party who go to fetch another. ʻO lana amiga.

ʻAmitolotolo, v. to go in and out, following the coast-line in pulling along near the shore.

Amo, s. the stick on which a burden is carried on the shoulder, a yoke. ʻO lana amo.

Amo, v. to carry on the shoulder; pass.Amoina; redup.Amoamo, to carry constantly.

Amo, v. to separate the fibres of a cocoa-nut husk by rubbing.

Amoamo, s. the name of a beam in a native house.

Amoamo, v. to repaint black siapo, native bark cloth.

Amoamo, s. 1. one kind of fishing. 2. The name of a large net carried on the shoulders.

Amoamo, v. redup. of amo.

Amoga, s. 1. a burden. 2. The name of the stars which form the belt of Orion.

Amomuli, v. to bear the hinder part of a fata.

Amopou, s. the name of a beam in a native house.

Amoti, s. the trigger of a gun. ʻO lana amoti.

Amoti, v. to pull the trigger.

Amu, v. to speak thickly, as a dying person.

ʻAmu, s. branching coral, various inadrepores.

ʻAmu, v. to cut off, as part of a beam.

ʻAmuamu, v. to mock. Sa amuamu mai ia te aʻu. For ʻaʻamu.

ʻAmuʻamu, a cellular-like ʻamu or coral.

Amuia, v. to be blessed, to be happy. Used only in congratulation. Amuia ʻoe.

Amuʻu, s. the sea cucumber.

ʻAmuʻula, s. 1. red coral (Stylaster
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sanguineus). 2. A name given to the dolphin.

Amuli, adv. hereafter.

Amutia, v. as Amuia.

Ana, s. a cave. ʻO lona ana.

Ana, conj. if; used only of past time.

Ana, pl. pron. of lana, his, hers. Ana mea.

ʻAna, s. a species of nullipore used as pumice-stone. ʻO lana ʻana.

ʻAnaʻana, v. to obey.

Anaana, a. full of caves.

ʻAnaʻana, v. to go into danger.

ʻAnaʻanalagi, a. fresh-water fish.

Anaaso, adv. yesterday.

Anae, s. the name of a fish.

ʻAnai, v. to rub with ʻana; redup.ʻanaʻanai, to rub repeatedly.

Anaoso, s. a thorny tree (Cæsalpinia Banducella).

Anafea, adv. when? of past time.

Anafiafi, adv. (ana and afiafi) this evening; of past time.

Anaga, s. a joke, a jest. ʻO lana anaga, ʻAua le fai anaga.

ʻAnagata, a. durable, lasting; of men who are robust and live to old age, or of things which last long.

ʻAsi, s. 1. The name of a shell-fish (mollusc). 2. The shell of the same used to scrape tuluga. ʻO laʻuʻasi. 3. The shell of the sele, used to scrape breadfruit. 4. A cocoa-nut shell used to scrape taro. 5. The name of a disease.

Asiʻaiivi, s. lit. the asi which cats the bones; the name of a disease.

Ata, s. 1. a shadow. 2. The morning dawn. ʻUa tafa mai ata. 3. A spirit. 4. The emblem or representative of an aitu, as the manualiʻi (Porphyrio) was the ata of the god Tuifiti. 5. A reflected image, as a photograph. ʻO lona ata. 6. The stem of the ʻava plant.

ʻAta, s. 1. a hero, a strong one, the dreaded one of its enemies. As the shark was the ʻata to atule, so Goliath was the ʻata of the Philistines. 2. A branch of ʻava.

ʻAti, v. to eat in, to corrode; applied to wood eaten by white ants (Termes); to cloth, mats, &c., eaten by insects; and to some kinds of ulcers which eat into the flesh; pass.ʻatia; redup.ʻatiʻati; pass.ʻatiʻatia, to continue to eat in.

Ati, pl. particle, denoting a number of chiefs of the same name or title; as ʻO le ati Tagaloa.

Ava, s. 1. an opening in the coralreef, a boat passage into the lagoon. ʻO lona ava. 2. An anchorage for ships. 3. The name of a very scaly fish.

Ava, s. the wife of a common man. ʻO lana ava.

Ava, v. 1. to show respect to. 2. To be wide apart, as a plank of a canoe not fitting. 3. To be open, as a doorway.

ʻAva, s. 1. the beard. ʻO lana ʻava. 2. The name of a plant from which a narcotic drink is made (Piper methisticum). The kava of many other islands. 3. The drink itself. Muamua lau ʻava, neʻi e teteʻe. 4. Food. Fai se ʻava, to partake of food. ʻO le ʻava a finagalo, food to cause thoughtfulness.

Avaava, s. a small opening in the the reef.

Avaava, v. to be full of openings in the reef.

ʻAvaʻava, s. 1. the name of a small fish. 2. A man who cannot be caught by the enemy.